Patent GB-634145-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to knitting machine with superposed needle cylinder
IPC: D04B9/10
Filed: 1945-10-02
Abstract: 634,145. Knitting-machines. SCOTT & WILLIAMS, Inc. Oct. 2, 1945, No. 25621. Convention date, Oct. 12, 1944. [Class 74 (ii)] A superposed cylinder machine with slider-controlled needles has means for transferring all the needles from one cylinder to the other at one transfer position and means for returning selected needles to the first cylinder at a second transfer position, means beyond the second transfer position for causing occupied sliders in the lower cylinder to follow a path, e.g. for stitch formation, other than that in which they received needles and means for causing idle sliders in the lower cylinder to follow a path that will ensure their engagement with needles subsequently presented at the first transfer position. Provision may be made for forming tuck or float stitches, in a links-andlinks fabric. The machine may also be adapted to knit body fabric by continuous circular knitting or to produce hosiery, with incidental reciprocatory knitting, narrowing and widening in the formation of the heels and toes. The machine may have one or more feeds arranged in one or more phases around the cylinder. Fig. 1 shows a single-phase cam arrangement for the control of lower and upper cylinder sliders 66, 74, jacks 116 and verges 103, Fig. 2 (not shown), in the production of body fabric and involving two feeds 4, 8 associated respectively with lower cylinder stitch cams 2, 6, which are axially adjustable to control the stitch length, and with upper cylinder stitch cams 38, 40. The lower cylinder also has a transfer cam 18, a withdrawable cam 13 which co-operates with alternative latch clearing means 88, radially movable cams 10, 12, 14, 16, vertically adjustable cams 26, 28 with terminal rises which ensure engagement of sliders with cams 14, 12 respectively and cams 34, 36 for lowering empty sliders to avoid interference with the closing latches of needles moving in the upper cylinder under the influence of cams 38, 40. The upper cylinder has axially adjustable cams, cams 54, 56 that operate alternately with clearing cams 42, 44 respectively by virtue of toggle connections between them, a transfer cam 62 and a cam 64 for restoring empty sliders to normal level after transfer. Transfer of needles from the top cylinder is effected by cam 62 as the lower sliders enter the unshaded portion of path A and needles selected for retransfer are returned to the top cylinder by cam 18. Beyond cam 18, the empty sliders follow a path above cams 18, 22, 2, 30, 20, 6, 32 and 13 so as to leave and re-enter the phase in path A in which they can receive needles at the next transfer. Selection of the lower cylinder needles for re-transfer is effected by slider-controlling jacks 116 which may also function selectively in place of cams 10, 12. The jacks enter the phase in either of paths P, Q, the former resulting from action by cam 110 and the latter by the face 114 of cam 112. Jacks entering path P may be raised by a group of inwardly movable cams 90 into range of cam 84 so that they follow path R to initiate a needle transfer ultimately completed by cam 18, or they may be left in the path ot cam 96 and swung outwardly to miss cam 84 and thereby follow path 5 without initiating transfer. If the jacks enter path Q they may be raised to path P by cams 90 and continue along path S or they may remain uninfluenced by cams 90 and continue in a path, one butt position below path S. Groups of cams 92, 94 co-operate with jack butts 119 in the same way as cams 90 to cause butts 120 to engage or miss cams 86, 88 which are effective to raise jacks and their sliders to clearing position as alternatives to cams 10, 12. If the jacks are not operated by cams 86, 88, they are directed to path Q by face cam 114. Jacks that have been caused to miss cams 84, 86, 88 are repositioned for further selection by engagement of undercut butts 122 with cams 102, 104 and those that have baen raised by cams 84, 86 are restored to original level by cams 106, 108. Normal stitches may be formed in the lower cylinder by causing needle sliders to follow paths A, C, F, A, whilst tuck stitches may be produced at one feed or the other by causing them to follow paths A, C, F, B or paths B, D, G, A. Multiple tuck stitches may be formed by entry of the sliders along paths B, D and by adjustment of the clearing cams and the jacks. When the sliders follow path E or H, floats are formed. In the upper cylinder the sliders 74 have alternative paths J, L for the production of different stitches and effecting transfer, the paths L, M, N being the appropriate course for sliders operating to form normal stitches at both feeds. Floats are formed at the second feed by withdrawing cam 42 so that the sliders follow paths L, K, N at the first feed by causing the sliders to follow paths J, M, N, and at both feeds by causing the sliders to follow paths J, K. J. The sliders in the top cylinder follow the same paths whether they are empty or carry needles. By withdrawing cam 62 and interrupting the jack selection of the lower sliders for transfer, rib fabric, with or without stitch variation, may be produced. The upper cylinder has axiallymovable verge members 103, Fig. 2 (not shown), that measure the stitches drawn at both feeds by their butts 107 traversing path X. Fig. 5 shows a modified cam arrangement for making hosiery and embodying two feeds 138, 158, the upper cylinder having transfer and slider return cams 180, 182 and the lower cylinder having transfer and slider lowering cams 170 and 171, 172 respectively. At the main feed 138, the lower cylinder has stitch cams 140, 142 for engagement respectively with upper and lower butts of the sliders, the former being operative during circular knitting and the latter during reciprocatory knitting. Adjacent the second feed, which may comprise a series of wrap fingers, are stitch cams 160, 162 and a cam 163, associated with slider selecting means such as that shown in Fig. 1, for causing sliders to present their needles for wrapping. The lower cylinder sliders comprise a group of instep needle sliders with short lower butts and long upper butts and a group of sole needle sliders with long lower butts and short upper butts, which may be operated separately by withdrawal of appropriate cams. The lower sliders may enter the phase on path A<SP>1</SP> B<SP>1</SP> or O<SP>1</SP>. Entry on paths B<SP>1</SP> and O<SP>1</SP> leads sliders against cams 166, 168, along path D<SP>1</SP> to path F<SP>1</SP>, when yarn is taken and knitted at feed 138, and thence to clearing level in path G<SP>1</SP> prior to taking yarn at feed 158 when the sliders are lowered to level J<SP>1</SP>. Subsequently, the sliders may continue on aligned path B<SP>1</SP> or be raised by a jack and cam 163 at K<SP>1</SP> to take wrap yarn. After wrapping, the sliders re-enter at level O<SP>1</SP> and the loops are cleared by cam 168. Tuck stitches are formed at the first feed by withdrawing cam 166 so that the sliders follow paths B<SP>1</SP>, C<SP>1</SP> and at the second feed by withdrawing cam 154 so that they follow path H<SP>1</SP>. Floats may be formed at both feeds by withdrawing appropriate cams in the upper or lower cylinder. During reciprocation, cam 176 is withdrawn to miss all the short butts of the lower sliders and cams 150, 178 are partly withdrawn to engage long butts only so that instep needle sliders are reciprocated along paths M<SP>1</SP>, I<SP>1</SP>, J<SP>1</SP>, B<SP>1</SP> whilst the needles hold their loops during knitting of the heel and toe.